Re-Imagine is a project born out of questioning our resourcefulness and our attitudes towards waste. It builds on Studiomama’s interests in expediency and re-using the existing, and speaks of our ability to see the potential in the overlooked and unloved.

This is not just a sustainable approach to design and making, but a social one too. Through working together and pooling resources we can Re-Imagine the second-hand and redesign our everyday surroundings.

The process was first initiated when an interior design project, requiring a quick solution, led Tolstrup to utilise wasted and discarded chairs found in the streets. The chairs were stripped down to their bare frames, re-welded, and powdercoated in bright colours. Combining these frames to generously padded seats and backs gave birth to Re-Imagined’s colourful and minimalistic aesthetic.

“Its a kind of ‘full-circle’ process. Chairs which had been abandoned to the streets are now finding their way back into a collection.” - Nina Tolstrup

The Re-imagined project was nominated for Design of the Year at the Design Museum in 2012